§ Mr. Rhodri MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what consultations he has had with(a) chairmen of the Welsh family health services authorities, (b) representations of the medical profession and (c) community health councils concerning the relative merits of postcodes and electoral wards as the basis for awarding deprivation payments to general practitioners; [19875]
(2) what representations he has received concerning the relative remits of postcodes and electoral wards as the basis for awarding deprivation payments to general practitioners. [19876]
§ Mr. RedwoodI have held no specific consultation with the three bodies mentioned, nor have I received any representations from them. I have recently received seven representations from individual GPs in South Glamorgan.
The present deprivation payments scheme was negotiated and agreed with the representative body of the profession in Wales. My officials have discussed the merits of the scheme with representatives of family health services authorities on several occasions. My officials have also been involved in discussions between health departments and the negotiating team of the General Medical Services Committee about the deprivation index. Both parties put forward evidence to the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body on pay and the Government have accepted its recommendation that payments should be based on the 1991 census Jarman scores.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to base deprivation payments to general practitioners on electoral wards. [19877]
§ Mr. RedwoodSince the inception of the deprivation payments scheme in 1990, payments to GPs in Wales have been based on the under-privileged area scores relating to electoral wards in accordance with an index of deprivation that was negotiated and agreed with the representative body of the profession in Wales. With effect from April 1995, payments to GPs will be updated using the 1991 census data.